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Additional Information on the benefits of massage therapy 

Massage therapy has been shown to be a means by which stress can be reduced significantly on physical and psychological levels.

Stress is a prevalent component in today's fast-paced world which can negatively impact on an individual's health and well-being. Massage therapy has been shown to be a means by which stress can be reduced significantly on physical and psychological levels. While massage therapists have know from experience that massage reduces a bodies stress, there is considerable research that validates your massage session experience.

Trigger point massage therapy offers a range of benefits beyond stress relief and lowering blood pressure. Here are some key advantages:

  • Pain Relief: It helps alleviate muscle pain and discomfort by targeting specific trigger points.

  • Improved Range of Motion: By releasing muscle knots, it enhances flexibility and mobility.

  • Reduced Muscle Tension: It promotes relaxation and reduces stiffness in muscles.

  • Headache Reduction: Studies suggest it can help relieve tension headaches and migraines.

  • Enhanced Athletic Performance: Athletes use it to improve muscle function and prevent injuries.

  • Drug-Free Pain Management: It provides a natural alternative to medication for chronic pain.

Massage Therapy for Anxiety
Massage therapy can assist in reducing the symptoms of anxiety.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, over 40 million adult Americans suffer from anxiety disorders. Anxiety and its disorders shape the quality of life and the health of those  individuals affected.

Research indicates massage can:

Help reduce anxiety:

in psychiatric patients.

in those with chronic pain for cancer patients.

for patients undergoing bone marrow transplants.

in children with illnesses.

in those with headaches.

in patients awaiting invasive cardiovascular procedures.

in healthy adults.

in patients with generalized anxiety disorder.

for patients under local anesthesia.

in stroke patients.

in the elderly.

in children and adolescent psychiatric patients.

in those at the end of life.

in adults with hand pain.

in patients with fibromyalgia.

in patients withdrawing from psychoactive drugs.

in burned adolescents.

in patients with congestive heart failure.

in women in labor increase a sense of calm/reduce anxiety after surgery.

helps reduce anxiety pre-surgery.

helps reduce trait anxiety with a course of treatment providing benefits similar to psychotherapy.

reduce the psychological and physiological anxiety levels in patients having cataract surgery.

increase neurotransmitters associated with lowering anxiety. decrease hormones associated with increasing anxiety.

A growing body of evidence shows how therapeutic touch impacts the nervous system, promoting relaxation and even influencing neurotransmitter levels. It’s fascinating to think about how something as simple as human touch, a massage, —when applied skillfully—can have such profound effects on both mental and physical well-being.

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How can massage therapy be integrated into treatment plans?​

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Massage therapy can be integrated into treatment plans in several ways, depending on the patient's needs and the overall healthcare approach. Here are some key strategies:

  • Complementary Care: Massage therapy can be used alongside conventional medical treatments to help manage pain, reduce stress, and improve mobility.

  • Chronic Pain Management: Patients with conditions like fibromyalgia, arthritis, or musculoskeletal disorders may benefit from regular massage sessions to alleviate discomfort and improve quality of life.

  • Post-Surgical Recovery: Massage can aid in reducing post-operative anxiety and promoting circulation, which may speed up healing.

  • Mental Health Support: It can be incorporated into treatment plans for anxiety, depression, and PTSD, helping patients relax and regulate stress responses.

  • Rehabilitation & Physical Therapy: Massage therapy can be used in conjunction with physical therapy to enhance muscle recovery and flexibility.

  • Preventive Care & Wellness: Some healthcare providers recommend massage as part of a holistic wellness plan to prevent injuries and maintain overall health.

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Massage Therapy Can Be Effective for Low Back Pain

​It is the position of the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) that massage therapy can be effective in reducing low back pain.

​According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Americans spend at least $50 billion each year on low back pain, the most common cause of job-related disability and a leading contributor to missed work. Back pain is the second most common neurological ailment in the United States.

Research has shown that massage can provide the following benefits

  • decrease low back pain 

  • decrease disability associated with low back pain 

  • demonstrates decreased pain and disability over time 

  • decrease anxiety/depression associated with low back pain

Massage Therapy as Beneficial Part of Integrative Treatment Plan for Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a group of signs and symptoms that include chronic pain in muscles, tendons, ligaments and other soft tissues

  • reduce pain

  • improve health status

  • improve quality of life

  • decrease anxiety

  • decrease depression

  • increase sleep hours

  • increase quality of sleep

  • improve quality of sleep over time

  • reduce tender points

  • decrease urinary CRF-LI (a biochemical marker of stress-related symptoms)

  • decrease use of analgesics

  • decrease cortisol levels

  • decrease stiffness

  • decrease fatigue

  • work well in an integrative treatment plans

Massage Therapy for Those Who Exercise

  1. Moderate amounts of physical activity provide substantial health benefits for all adults. This dose is defined as 150 minutes/week of moderate intensity activity such as walking, or 75 minutes of vigorous activity/week such as jogging or vigorous sports.  Furthermore, this moderate dose can be obtained by mixing some days of moderate intensity and some days of vigorous intensity, with one minute of vigorous equaling two minutes of moderate intensity. For this combination, 150 minutes is the goal.

  2. Additional health benefits can be obtained by doing more than the moderate dose. This higher target is described as 300 minutes of moderate intensity, 150 minutes of vigorous intensity, or combining moderate and vigorous intensity.

  3. All adults should participate in 30 minutes of strength building exercise on two days of the week. These exercises should engage all major muscle groups.

  4. Children and adolescents should participate in 60 minutes of physical activity each day.  Most of this should be moderate to vigorous intensity activity, and should include vigorous activity at least three days/week. It also is recommended that children and adolescents participate in muscle-strengthening three days/week and bone-strengthening activities at least three days/week.1 

Deep Tissue or Sports massage

May be used to improve athletic performance, speed recovery, and can be utilized by all individuals who participate in any athletic and/or exercise program to help improve conditioning and maintain peak performance. Many professional and collegiate athletic programs employ or contract with massage therapists, and sports massage has been sought for many years by athletes of differing backgrounds for multiple reasons.  For people to be healthy, sports massage can be recommended to those individuals who participate in exercise programs as well as professional and collegiate athletes.

Massage therapy protocol for headaches.

Massage Techniques for Tension Headache Relief​

Swedish Massage - Long, gliding strokes, kneading, and circular motions to relax muscles and improve circulation​
Targeting the Neck, shoulders, scalp, upper back

Trigger Point Therapy with sustained pressure on hyperirritable “knots” that refer pain to the head - Suboccipitals, upper trapezius, sternocleidomastoid (SCM), temporalis

Deep Tissue Massage with firm, slow strokes to reach deeper muscle and fascia layers Trapezius, levator scapulae, cervical paraspinals

Scalp Massage with circular fingertip pressure to increase blood flow and ease tightness Entire scalp, especially temporals and occipital ridge

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